Protection Detail
by OzGeek
Summary: The FBI is after the pregnant woman in McGee's bed. Six chapters, one every day or two.Now complete, off on holidays. If you need me I'll be in a cave.
1. Learn from your mistakes

**Protection Detail**

"Are you sure we should be doing this," Ziva whispered with a furtive glance over her shoulder.

The corridor was deserted and ominously silent. Not uncommon for 5 am on a Monday morning.

"Trust me," Tony assured her as he fiddled the lock pick. "You haven't lived until you've caught 'the McGee' unaware in his natural environment."

"But Gibbs said, 0800," Ziva rasped hoarsely.

Tony turned to her, a grin spreading across his face. Still crouching, he placed his face and hands against the door's surface and crept forward slowly, swinging the door silently ahead of him. He stopped as he came face to face with a belt buckle.

"Good morning," McGee said congenially.

"Good morning, McGee," Ziva smiled.

Tony straightened, meeting McGee nose to nose. "You're up early, Probie" he noted with regret.

A humorless smiled graced McGee's face momentarily then withdrew. "I didn't get all the good grades by NOT learning from my mistakes." He picked up the backpack that lay at his feet. "Let's go."

Tony didn't give way. "Ohh, he's hiding something," he enthused. "What is it McGee? Newer computer? Older typewriter?" He swerved his head each side of McGee trying to get a look inside.

McGee sighed and took a half step backwards, allowing Tony to scan the main room of his apartment without actually gaining access. It was spotless.

"Happy?"

"What about breakfast? I've got this craving for dinosaur cereal."

"Out," McGee ordered using his body to force Tony out the door and closing it firmly behind them.

* * *

A body stirred in McGee's bed at the sound of the door closing. A red haired woman opened her eyes and once again gave thanks for Timothy McGee's existence. She smiled as she saw the glass of water and dry crackers he had left on the bedside table. The note beside them said he had an early morning mandatory course: typical. She plucked a biscuit of the plate and munched it carefully, sipping some water to moisten her mouth. Sometimes it helped stave off the morning sickness….but not today. She groaned, heaved herself out of bed and hobbled off to the bathroom.


	2. Assert Yourself

**Chapter 2 - Assert yourself**

The large whiteboard outside the training room announced, 'NCIS assertiveness training'. The venue was situated a few miles from NCIS headquarters in an effort to dissuade staff from sneaking out to perform useful work. As an added incentive, mobile phones were banned from the building.

McGee poked his head in the door and immediately wished he hadn't as a wave of allergens hit him full force in the face. Sniffing futilely at the stream of fluid pouring from his nose, he squinted through the congealing mucus fast obliterating his vision and spied Abby lighting small sticks around the room. His plans of a hasty retreat were thwarted by Tony and Ziva as they barrelled through the door after him.

"What is that?" Tony grimaced at the smell.

"What?" Ziva replied. "You object to a little incest."

"No….wait, yes!" Tony struggled with the paradigm shift confronting him. "I think you mean 'incense'."

"What's the difference?"

"One's illegal and produces mutant offspring."

"Which one is this?"

"This," Abby said serenely, turning to them, "is designed to calm the nerves and put us all in a receptive frame of mind."

McGee grabbed a handful of tissues from a box placed conveniently near the door and blew his nose so hard it trumpeted. Sodden tissue confetti showered the carpet as the fragile material exploded under the stress: two ply wasn't what it used to be.

"Throw that crap out," Gibbs demanded as he stormed into the room.

"But.."

"Now."

Abby narrowed her eyes at him. "Typical passive aggressive," she huffed, collecting her joss sticks with punctuated strokes.

"Nothing passive about it," Gibbs growled, striding over to a window and ripping it open.

McGee, following hot on his heels, stuck his head out the window and allowed the fluids flowing from his facial orifices to dry to a crusty layer.

"They said I could find you here."

Agent Fornell stood in the doorway, a humourless scowl on his face.

"Tobias," Gibbs greeted him cordially.

"I'm here on official business, Jethro," Fornell began.

"And," Gibbs prompted.

"I'm investigating a murder of an FBI person of interest in a little town called Edenvale," he started.

McGee's head popped in through the window.

"Whoa," Tony was impressed, "a second murder. Evansdale: Cabot Cove of the boondocks."

Synchronised glares from Gibbs and Fornell silenced him.

"Shutting up, boss," he confirmed.

"So?" Gibbs was fast losing patience.

"One of our prime suspect disappeared the same day."

"And?" said Gibbs.

"The thing is, this suspect was born and bred in Edenvale. Only ever left it once and that was to visit you guys."

"Name?"

"Ruby Rae"

A sea of expectant faces turned to McGee who was making a valiant effort to look nonchalant. He would have pulled it off too if it weren't for his ears throbbing their neon 'guilty' signs.

"McGee?" Gibbs prompted.

For a moment, McGee actually considered taking the innocent routine out for a test drive but even he could see it was a no win situation. He deflated, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment to reorder his brain and recover from the fact that he was never taking home an Oscar.

When he opened his eyes, they were still all staring at him. "She arrived at my door about 9 pm Saturday night," he began.

"Wow, a Saturday night," Tony mused. "I wonder how she knew you'd be home."

McGee rolled his eyes but continued unperturbed. "She had one bag with her; she was soaked through and almost hysterical."

"Did she say she had killed anyone?" asked Fornell, casually.

"No," McGee admitted. "It's the first thing I asked."

Tony snorted. "You don't get the good grades by…" The expression on everyone's face stalled his sentence and his tone reverted to that of a serious schoolmaster. "Go on, Probie."

After an incredulous look in Tony's direction, McGee turned his full attention to Gibbs and pleaded. "Boss, she's pregnant. She was raped. She's all alone and she just wanted to escape. She won't tell me who did it and I didn't press her. She just needed some time to think. She hasn't even seen a doctor yet, boss. She's so stressed. She's throwing up and she gets these bouts of low blood pressure."

"I need to interview her," Fornell cut in.

Gibbs turned to Fornell with one slightly raised eyebrow, Fornell's lips twitched a little and Gibbs blinked once.

"Right," Fornell concluded turning away and flicking out his cell.

"McGee," Gibbs began. "You get that girl to an obstetrician right now, you understand me?"

"Ah yeah but, ah, boss I don't know any…"

Fornell pocketed his cell, fished his wallet from his back pocket and handed McGee a card. "One pm this afternoon: don't be late. Then bring her straight over."

McGee barely managed an, "Ahhh, thanks," before Fornell was out of the room. He turned uncertainly to Gibbs, "Ahh, Boss?"

"Yes, McGee?"

"How am I going to get out of the afternoon session of a mandatory assertiveness course?"

"Listen hard this morning," Gibbs suggested.


	3. A trip to the doctor

**Chapter 3 - a trip to the doctor**

"I don't know if I can do this McGee," Ruby worried, fidgeting in the waiting room.

"You'll be fine," he assured her. "They just want to check that you and the baby are OK."

"But what if I pass out or something?"

McGee smiled encouragingly. "I'll be there the whole time: only if you want, of course."

"Oh, I want," she confirmed, enthusiastically.

He picked up an outdated woman's magazines from the table next to him. A quick examination of its contents revealed every female celebrity in the known universe was currently pregnant, caring for children, breastfeeding in public or, ewwwww, actually giving birth. He tossed the magazine back on the table with a shudder.

"Miss Rae?" A mid-fifties female stood at the door of the examination room. Her greying hair was incongruously drawn back into a pony at the base of her skull, her tone and expressions bespoke routine sympathetic gestures.

Ruby stood abruptly, trailed by a reluctant McGee.

"Come in," the doctor invited. Her eyes came to rest on McGee. "You must be Special Agent McGee."

"Ah, yeah."

"Usually they send a female agent. You can wait out here until we're.."

"No!" Ruby exclaimed.

Her hand groped around the front of McGee's thigh for what he hoped was his hand. Just to be sure, he placed it within her grasp because, from her current trajectory, things were going to get pretty painfully very soon.

She looked up at him. "He's a friend."

The doctor smiled kindly. By the deep groves in her face, it was her default facial expression. "Fine, come in."

* * *

As they settled in the two chairs facing the doctor's desk, McGee felt Ruby's grip on tighten.

"I do a lot of rape cases," the doctor began. "For the police, FBI, even CIA sometimes. Rest assured you are not alone in this, OK?"

"OK," Ruby answered tearfully.

"What are you plans for the baby?"

'Plans?"

"Termination, adoption, keeping it?"

McGee found himself trembling slightly; this was not a discussion he ever expected to witness. What had he gotten himself into? Moral support didn't include life or death decisions with an almost complete stranger. Ruby's hand felt hot and sweaty in his and he could see her face reddening.

"I'm keeping it," she said determinedly.

The doctor smiled her stock smile. "Ok then, so what was the date of the first day of your last monthly period?"

McGee's eyes opened wide in shock. In hadn't occurred to him that he was going to be privy to Ruby's entire medical history. Maybe he should have waited in the waiting room after all. The stress was starting to make him feel light-headed.

Ruby gave the doctor a day and she calculated a confinement date. Apparently the results tallied with Ruby's own calculations so she was happy.

"So how have you been feeling?" The doctor inquired, politely.

Ruby then proceeded to describe her pregnancy in excruciating detail from the increased fluid excretions to the shear volume of vomit expelled each morning. It occurred to McGee, as he tried not to hurl over the floor, that scientific woman make very exacting patients.

The doctor continued to nod seriously, making notes in her folder. When Ruby had exhausted almost every possible symptom available and McGee had been reduced to a shaking, sweaty mass, the doctor placed her pen and folder neatly on the desk.

"We now need to examine you," she started.

Initially, McGee was worried that the doctor's gory medical description would exacerbate his light-headedness. Fortunately, the sound of her voice faded into the distance very quickly as the cold, creepy sensation overtook his body.

* * *

"Special Agent McGee?" The doctor's voice was so close to his ear that it startled him. He wondered how she managed to throw her it like that.

Opening his eyes, he came face to face with a pair of knees: not a common vista for him. He was lying on his side on the floor next to his chair. His left ear and hip hurt, almost as though they had been whacked with a hard object – like a floor. A hand on his arm firmed as he tried to move.

"Just keep your head down for a moment," the doctor advised. "I'll be examining Ruby right behind that curtain over there."

"OK."

McGee tried to ignore the mysterious sounds coming from behind the white curtain before him. There was much high pitched excitement punctuated with the occasional groan that made his stomach lurch ominously. Then everything went quiet. The silence gave way to a loud, fast, 'wump, wump, wump' sound that echoed around the room.

"Hear that, Agent McGee?" called the doctor.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"That's the heartbeat of a healthy baby."

McGee found himself grinning as the doctor pulled back the curtain to reveal Ruby lying flat on her and wearing the same grin.


	4. FBI interview

**Chapter 4 – FBI interview**

Ruby pulled up in the FBI car park and shot McGee another worried look. How he'd managed to navigate her coherently, yet disturbingly quietly, through the absurdly congested city streets, she would never know.

Looking at him with his head tilted back against the seat and his eyes shut, Ruby was suddenly reminded of the dreadful moment when she felt his hand slacken in hers and slide through her fingers. Her peripheral vision had caught him veering away but somehow she'd thought he was just shifting position on the chair. In truth, she had been so intent upon the doctor's words that she had almost forgotten he was there. It wasn't until the heavy thump on the floor that she realised something was terribly wrong. Even now, she cringed at her own obliviousness.

The doctor had rolled her eyes just a little and confided that it happened more times than she cared to remember. Something about "the bigger they come, the harder they fall."

Crouching on the floor beside him, Ruby had seen McGee with fresh eyes: the man who had, until that moment, been her pillar of strength suddenly looked very pale and fragile lying on the floor. She had coaxed an errant strand of sweat soaked hair from his face and, for the first time, felt the cold clammy texture of his skin. A pang of guilt had rung out over her: she should never have dragged McGee into all this.

The doctor had assured her not to worry and said he would recover in his own time. The best thing for Ruby to do was prepare for the examination and she would keep an eye on McGee.

Sitting pensively in the driver's seat, it occurred to Ruby that McGee's ego had probably just taken a huge beating. It was time to re-ignite his 'knight-in-shinning armour' flame.

"McGee?"

"What?" He shot up straight in the chair.

"We're here."

"Oh right." He blinked a couple of times to re-orient.

"You'd better be coming in with me; I'm not facing up to the FBI on my own."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You can do anything."

She placed her hand over his and was immediately struck by the contrast between the warm, solid hand beneath her palm and the lifeless one that haunted her memory.

"Let's get this over with."

* * *

Fornell met them in the reception area and eyed McGee with a bemused smirk. "Never go in with them, McGee," he said wryly. "Rookie mistake: Jethro should have warned you."

Ruby decided she liked him already.

"This way, Ms Rae," he invited.

Ruby grabbed McGee's hand to drag him along.

"You can watch from observation, McGee," Fornell offered. "There are chairs in there. I'd advise you to use one."

* * *

Ruby sat in the interview room at one of two rudimentary chairs placed deliberately either side of a simple unadorned table. She watched with interest as Fornell closed the door. He seemed gruff but nice: like a humorous version of Gibbs. She tracked him all the way to his seat then let her eyes roam – two chairs a table, a large one-way mirror and ….. blank walls.

"My cousin Lou-Anne could do wonders with this space," she noted.

A smile tugged at one corner of Fornell's lips but the rest of his face remained stoically set. "This is not a rape case, Ms Rae," he began, "it is an interview pertaining to an ongoing FBI investigation into Police corruption in Edenvale."

Ruby swallowed hard at his serious tone. Her eyes sought the mirror, hoping McGee was behind there. "OK, what can I do for you?"

Fornell paused momentarily. "You will be attending a counselling session after this, you know?" he said more gently.

"Not before?"

"No need to do it twice."

She frowned worriedly – this interview was going to be that bad?

"Where were you between 6 and 8 pm last Friday night?"

"Packing."

"That all?"

"Yep, packing."

"What happened after that?"

"I went out to the main highway and hitched a ride up to Washington on an 18 wheeler."

Fornell sighed and leant back in the chair.

"Why don't you tell me the whole story?"

Tears sprang to Ruby's eyes. She knew McGee would be listening. He shouldn't have to find out this way – he deserved better. They'd just had such a short time together and he'd never really asked and..

"Ms Rae?"

She looked up suddenly: it was time. "I didn't know who to tell," she began.

"Not the police?"

"Hah!" The cynical laughed sounded off-key from her gentle face. Oh the police knew alright. She tempered to a sensible tone. "You're investigating them, would you?"

There was a sad smile from Fornell and she realised that her one sarcastic moment had told him what he wanted to know: she had been raped by one of the Edenvale police.

"I thought I was OK," she started again. "It was all over, no one had to know and we could all go back to living our lives again."

"But that didn't happen, did it?"

She smiled miserably, looking down at her hands. "No: I was late. At first I thought it was just the stress but then, well, I work in a forensics lab: I have all the tests I need. I was positive. At first I didn't believe it but then the morning sickness started and then…"

"It's alright, Miss Rae, I am very familiar with the symptoms of pregnancy."

Ruby winced guilty. He'd probably just saved McGee from another tête-à-tête with a floor.

"I didn't know where to go," she continued slowly. "The only people I know are in Edenvale. Then I remembered the NCIS guys." She rested back in the chair. "I don't know what I was thinking. I just got on the computer at work and looked up everyone's personal details."

Fornell put his hand up in warning. "That, I don't want to know about."

"I just got it into my head that if I wanted to get away from that place safely and start a new life that it was better to go somewhere where I wasn't completely alone, you know? So I packed my bag and hitched a ride to D.C."

"When's the last time you saw Dept Sheriff Marsden?"

Ruby looked up sharply: Fornell knew more than she thought. Then again, Marsden had probably told everyone what he'd done to her. He was that sort of guy. "Friday afternoon, about three."

"How did he look?"

Ruby frowned quizzically at the question. "Ahh: his usual smug, slimy sort of self. I try not to look at him."

"So he didn't look dead in anyway?"

"What!" Ruby took a moment to resolve the conflicting emotions of shock and satisfied retribution. "Who killed him?"

"That's why you're here."

"You think I killed him?"

"And then skipped town."

"That's crazy."

Fornell paused and looked at her. She was right, it was crazy. "Did you tell anyone else about the baby?"

"No, not directly but it might be a bit obvious to someone who knew."

Fornell frowned doubtfully. "You didn't tell anyone? Your ride up? Confided in a friend?"

A memory stabbed at her and she felt her eye's do the telltale movement as she said, "No one."

She looked straight at Fornell and saw his head was cocked to one side in expectation of a name. Lying was never her strong point.

"One guy," she admitted, "but he's really sweet. He's my next door neighbor and I needed someone to check on my place for me. He knows about the baby but not who did it."

"Name."

Ruby appealed through the mirror for help but it stared back blankly. Maybe McGee had gone in disgust. Although she had never mentioned the father's name, there was enough gossip in the small town to make it obvious. Now she had to drag an innocent neighbor into this mess.

She bowed her head. "Stevie," she said regretfully, "Stevie Bowden."

When she looked up, Fornell was regarding her kindly. "You did well, Ruby."

She sniffed a little.

"The counsellor is waiting."

* * *

McGee met her at the interview door as she left and she could not look him in the eye.

Then she felt him wrap his arms around her gently and heard him whisper, "I'm so sorry."

She sank in to him letting herself relax for a brief instant. Then she pulled away to look at his face: he looked shaken but firm. "You want to get a coffee or something while I'm with the counsellor?" she offered.

"You don't want me with you?"

She tried to judge whether the tone indicated hurt or fear.

"I think you need a break," she smiled.


	5. Pillow talk

**Chapter 5 – Pilow talk**

"We need to talk, McGee," said Ruby. She was sitting on the edge of the bed hugging a pillow to her chest. It was barely 8 pm but Ruby knew she needed the sleep. Moreover, she knew McGee needed the sleep: exhaustion seeped from his pores, his face haggard with strain.

McGee sat in the arm chair next to the bed. "About?"

"About how this is all going to work in the long run."

"You can stay here as long as you like," McGee began.

She smiled. "That's very sweet of you but I can't keep staying here for the rest of my life. I have no income, almost no clothes and I'm going to have a baby. You don't need that sort of financial burden."

McGee scoffed. "Money isn't a problem, Ruby."

"I knew you'd say that but I know what you're paid, McGee."

"You don't know about my other income."

"I know you write," she stopped guiltily. "It's declared on you personnel form as extra income – the one I hacked to find your home address."

The same thought that had traversed McGee's consciousness when he'd first heard her admit to breaking into NCIS files at the FBI interview reappeared: what goes around comes around. Sure she had broken a couple of laws but she was desperate. Ironically, he'd declared the income to prevent people digging through his files for an extra source of money. That and it was a condition of employment to declare all financial sources.

"What you don't know is how much money I got out of the book," he smiled inscrutably, "and the sequel."

Ruby's expression suggested she didn't know if he was joking or not.

"Don't worry," he assured her. "I've got more money that I know what to do with."

"Then why do you live here?"

He frowned, almost hurt at the implication. "It's my place," he defended

She shrugged at his explanation. "OK then but you can't keep lying on the floor every night in that sleeping bag."

"I'm fine; I was a WEBLOS." He leaned forward in the chair, ignoring the groaning from the discs in his back. "I'm not going to sleep with you."

"Afraid you'll get me pregnant?"

He smiled understandingly. "No but it wouldn't be right, I hardly know you."

"You took me in off the streets and gave me a safe home, McGee," she said seriously. "You deserve to sleep in your own bed. I can take the floor."

"Not happening," McGee dismissed her.

"I'm going to sleep beside you McGee. On the floor, in the bed: your choice."

McGee stared into her earnest eyes. There was no fear, just a pragmatic sense of fair play."

"OK," he finally conceded, "it's your reputation."

Now it was Ruby's turn to scoff. "I left my reputation back in Edenvale a long time ago."

Ruby studied McGee carefully. Although he was clearly a man of his word, she didn't know how far his sense of chivalry extended. Would he share the bed first and sneak off to the floor later? She needed to get him over first night nerves.

"McGee," she announced, finally. "We're going to bed right now."

"What?"

"You and me, right now," she clarified.

McGee looked perplexed.

"You can do your typing later," she assured him. "I just want you to get ready and get into the same bed as me so you know what it's like. Then you've done it, it's over and you might as well do it again."

She saw McGee give her that 'humour the crazy pregnant woman' look he had been perfecting over the last day or so.

"OK." He pushed himself out of the chair and headed for the far side of the bed.

"Oh, no you don't," she reprimanded. "The whole deal: pyjamas, teeth, whatever. This is going to be a routine, McGee."

McGee's pity look was fast transforming into a 'get the pregnant woman to a psychiatrist' look but he did as she ordered.

Ten minutes later he appeared from the bathroom in a T-shirt, boxers and socks looking very self-conscious. It was the first time Ruby had seen him anything but fully dressed and he looked, well, kind of sweet and boyish. She snuggled into the bed as he crawled under the covers next to her.

McGee lay flat on his back with his hands folded protectively across his stomach. "Happy?" he asked.

She flicked off the bedside lamp condemning the room to the wane light filtering in from the writing desk and rolled to face him. "Almost," she said. "I just want you to lie here with me until I fall asleep. OK?"

Silence.

"McGee?"

Ruby smiled in smug victory as McGee's faint wispy breathing solidified to the comfortable breaths of slumber. She doubted he'd slept more than a few hours each night since she'd arrived that cold wet Saturday and today he had endured an early start, a mandatory course, a doctor's appointment, an FBI interview and a wait during her counselling session.

Looking back, she couldn't believe that she had just landed on his doorstep like that. It had seemed like such a good idea right up to the moment she came face to face with that '3' on his door. At that point her resolved crumbled to dust. It was only her bag inadvertently thumping against the door that alerted him to her presence.

When the door suddenly swung open, there was the panic moment when she thought he didn't recognise her. Why would he? She was just some forensic scientists from the boondocks; he probably met half a dozen a week.

Then he'd uttered her name and ushered her in, taking her bag and sodden coat as she entered. He'd led her to the shower leaving her with a fresh towel and a pile of his sister's clothing and asked if she needed anything to eat. Food: she hadn't thought about it for longer than she cared to remember. When she emerged, he sat her in the big comfy chair next to his bed and watched over her while she ate. Not once did he enquire what had happened, only if she was OK. Then he'd tucked her up into his bed and left her there: snug, warm, dry, sated and safe.

She hadn't thought to check his sleeping arrangements until she awoke Sunday morning nauseous and vomiting and found, to her embarrassment, that he didn't possess so much as a couch. She wasn't sure if he'd spent that night on the floor or in a silent vigil in the chair but he'd insisted on the sleeping bag Sunday night.

It was Sunday that she told him everything, well almost everything, and he listened but did not judge. When she was done, he told her she always had a place there.

She had been tired that day, retreating to the bed with a selection of his books off and on. Once she'd suffered the low blood pressure that had plagued her for the past few weeks and he'd taken her to the bedroom again to lie down and worried over her from the chair.

Now it was her turn to watch over him as he was rewarded for his efforts with well earned sleep in a comfortable bed. She considered turning off the desk lamp in the other room but she rather liked the opportunity it offered her to look at him whenever she liked. His head listed slightly towards her as he sank into a deeper sleep and she leaned over to kiss him lightly on the forehead. "Goodnight, McGee."


	6. All Good Things

**Chapter 6 - All good things**

McGee awoke to the dulcet tones of violent retching echoing through his bathroom. Immediately he felt a deep blush rising up his cheeks: he hadn't meant to fall asleep. The plan was to stay awake just long enough for Ruby to drop off and then steal away to the rug and his trusty sleeping bag. Now it was daylight and the deed was done. He sighed in defeat. At least no one had to know.

The bathroom door opened and Ruby wandered out looking drawn and miserable. "Oh hey, McGee," she said casually. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

McGee took a quick look at the clock on his bedside table. "No, well yes, but I'm glad you did. I should get going." He pulled back the covers and swung his legs out of the bed.

"Can I come with you?"

"To the bathroom?"

Ruby paused thoughtfully. Perhaps this 'getting familiar' thing had gotten out of hand. "To work," she clarified.

"Ahh, OK, sure. Why?"

"Well, if I've just put Stevie in the FBI's line of fire, I'd like to see what exactly the crime is."

McGee baulked. "Well, you know it's not really NCIS jurisdiction: there's no Navy involvement."

"Hmmmm," Ruby mused. "I bet by the time you're out of the bathroom I can think of a good reason for NCIS to become involved."

* * *

"Hey, McGee," Abby called over the blaring music in her lab. "Oh, hey Ruby: long time no see. Sorry to hear what happened to you but glad the guy is majorly dead."

"Abs, we need to ask you a favor," McGee yelled.

"Flavors?" Abby reached over and turned the volume down.

"Favors!" McGee's voice sounded absurdly loud in the sudden silence.

"No need to yell," Abby chastised him. "What can I do for you?"

"It seems that Dept. Sheriff Marsden is suspected of defrauding NCIS."

"Really?" said Abby happily.

"Yeah, and we need to put a BOLO out right away."

"Oh, I'll just type that in. Well, what do you know? He's dead!"

"Can we find out the details?"

"Sure," Abby smiled. "I've got a friend over in FBI forensics."

It took all of ten minutes for Abby's FBI contact to email her the background details of the case.

"Well, now," said Abby thoughtfully, scanning through the file. "Dept Sheriff Marsden's been a very naughty boy, no wonder the FBI is after him: this borders on treason." She paged down through the file. "The good news is he was shot in the back of the head."

"Most people wouldn't consider that good news, Abs," McGee pointed out.

"I would," Ruby muttered.

"And that is why the FBI searched your place," Abby pointed out. "Your gun didn't match the bullet, by the way, so you should be in the clear."

"Yeah, but now they think it's Stevie."

"Who's Stevie?"

"My neighbor."

"Well, unless he has some serious terrorist links, it's unlikely it was his gun either."

Ruby laughed spontaneously. "No, Stevie's not a terrorist. I've known him since we were kids. We went to school together."

"Well, I've seen this sort of hit before and I'm telling you, it's not local Edenvale modus operandi. From what I can see, the FBI is still looking for a match on the bullet. I think I may be able to speed up that search if I can get a copy of all their forensic results. Come back and see me this afternoon."

"Thanks Abs," Ruby smiled.

"Anytime."

"Now where's your bathroom?"

"Ahh, the curse of the pregnant," said Abby pointing in the direction of the facilities.

"Amen," called Ruby as she raced out the door.

"So have you slept with her yet?" Abby asked casually as Ruby disappeared out the lab door.

"No!" said McGee indignantly. "Well, yes: but not in the way you mean."

Abby raised an eyebrow at him.

"She tricked me into it," McGee flustered.

"Oh that's original."

McGee rolled his eyes at her.

"You're such an easy tease," Abby laughed.

McGee narrowed his eyes and stomped off back to the bullpen.

* * *

"Good news!" cried Abby bounding into the bullpen later that afternoon. "I won!"

Tony, Ziva and McGee looked up from their desks.

"Won what?" Tony finally ventured.

"I bet the FBI forensics guy that if he sent me all the forensics, I could find a match to the bullet before he did. So he dumped all the forensics on me and I won! It's sort of like the forensics Olympics qualifying rounds."

"That's great," said McGee. "When Ruby gets back from the bathroom again, you'll have to tell her."

"Tell me what?" asked Ruby appearing at his elbow.

"I beat the FBI forensics guy!" said Abby happily.

"Well, congratulations."

Abby looked momentarily confused. "No, no, no: I mean I matched the bad guy to the bullet before the FBI forensics guy did. He didn't recognise some of the markings on the bullet; it's easy when you know where to look. I can prove Dept. Sheriff Marsden's death is nothing to do with you or Stevie and everything to do with terrorists. Do I know my bullets or what?"

"That's terrific!" Ruby smiled and gave McGee a spontaneous hug.

The elevator dinged bringing with it Tobias Fornell tailed by a skinny young man with slightly long scraggly hair and an unkempt manner.

"I need to talk to Ruby," Fornell said flatly.

"Stevie," Ruby cried releasing McGee and transferring her exuberant hug to the young man.

"It's OK," Stevie said almost tearfully. "I didn't do it."

"I know that." Ruby's reprimand was half directed at Fornell.

"The murder is related to our other FBI investigations. Dept. Sheriff Marsden was involved with some pretty shady people," Fornell confirmed. "Our forensics specialist just called and identified the killer."

"So you can come home now, Ruby," Stevie smiled.

Ruby slid McGee a guilty look as she released Stevie. "I could but I've sort of found a life here."

"But…but you belong with us, Ruby," Steve pleaded, "with me."

As they watched Stevie lowered himself to one knee and pulled a ring out of his pocket. "Ruby Rae: will you do me the honor of being my wife: to have and to hold, as long as we both shall live?"

From his desk seat vantage, Tony watched Ruby's eyes gleam as she accepted his meagre offering. It looked fake. He'd have to see if he could get Ziva to breathe on it – preferably when was lying in his lap.

He lost his train of thought for a moment. Then sought McGee's face and found exactly what he expected – McGee looked like his new puppy had just been run down in front of him.

"I'll just get my stuff from McGee's," said Ruby happily.

She didn't even register McGee's half hearted, "fine", as he dug his keys from his pocket and handed them over.

Tony looked hard – McGee's face seemed to be swelling slightly and he had developed a re-occurring sniff. He waited until the two young lovers had departed in the elevator before leaving his desk and wrapping an arm around McGee's shoulders.

"Ahh, don't worry about it, Probie" he comforted as they looked off in the direction of the elevator together. "You were never going to win over that guy."

McGee turned his head slightly. "How do you figure that?"

"It's Edenvale: he's probably her cousin – blood is always thicker than water."

McGee's smile was sad but resigned.

"Come on," Tony invited. "We're going out."

"Right now?"

"Why not?"

"Because it's work time…"

"Tony is right McGee," Ziva chimed in. "The pubic bar."

"Please let that be public," McGee begged.

"Ok, public it is."

"But what about Gibbs?"

"He can come if he wants," said Tony.

"No, I mean: what about Gibbs not letting us go?"

"You assert yourself, Probie," Tony grinned, pushing him towards the elevator.

"That's right, McGee, it's all about assertiveness," Ziva concurred following them

"That must have been the afternoon session…"

--END--

* * *

_An exercise for the reader. Did the ending seem too abrupt? If so is the reason:_

_a) I have a very short attention span and got bored  
b) I'm leaving on holidays tomorrow  
c) It's a valid literary technique to illustrate McGee's shock at the turn of events when he had just started entertaining the thought of settling down.  
d) All of the above  
e) Why am I reading this rubbish? I meant to read a really good story by Enthusiastic Fish but I hit the wrong link._


End file.
